UK could be hit by superstorm as Hurricane Maria smashes into Hurricane Lee

Britain could be battered by gale force winds this weekend as the remains of Hurricanes Maria and Lee speed across the North Atlantic.

The Met Office have warned that weather systems like Maria can bring very strong winds and heavy rain.

Autumn weather is predicted to dominate this week with foggy nights alongside wet and windy spells.

However, the Met Office have said the potential effects will be “far from those experienced in the Caribbean”.

Meteorologists are currently watching the progress of hurricanes Lee and Maria as they take curved tracks across the North Atlantic.

Both systems are said to be weakening, but the Met Office have warned there is potential for them to impact the weather in the UK, although the extent of this influence is currently uncertain.

Frank Saunders, duty chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Ex-Maria is likely to impact our weather towards the end of the weekend and into the beginning of next week.

“However, it is important to say that any weather impacts will be far from those experienced in the Caribbean.

Hurricanes gain their energy from the warm tropical waters and ex-Maria will be modified significantly as it tracks over the cool North Atlantic ocean. “Ex-Maria will still contain tropical air brought north and it is this air which has the potential to affect our weather. Our waters are far too cool to sustain an actual hurricane.” Eleanor Bell, principal meteorologist of The Weather Channel, had warned that the two hurricanes would merge to form a superstorm across the Atlantic. She said there was a chance that there would be a ‘very wet and windy start to next week’, but stressed the future model runs needed to be monitored for any changes.

However, The Weather Channel have now said latest forecast models show the storms could take seperate paths and lose some of their voracity before reaching the UK on Sunday. Forecaster Hannah Findley said the storms were unlikely to merge into one large superstorm meaning the UK would escape the worst of the bad weather.